May 30, 2013

“Wouldn’t it be great if we woke up one day to find that all of our debts were paid and we had a daily allowance to live on?” I asked my brother recently.

I’m reading through the Old Testament and had recently finished reading about Jehoiachin King of Judah who was released from exile after thirty seven years. I was sharing some of what I had read with one of my brothers. His answer gave me much to think about. He replied that in his opinion we already have that on any given day.

Our needs are met but we decide that we “need” more. We have food in the cupboard but it isn’t what we want to eat so we say we have no food. We have clothes to wear, a car to drive and a home to live in but sometimes our eyes are on “something better.” It isn’t enough for us that we have sufficient to survive on a daily basis because often our eyes are on having a little more.

As I later reflected on what he said I once again read the verses related to Jehoiachin’s release from exile.

29 So Jehoiachin put aside his prison clothes and for the rest of his life ate regularly at the king’s table. 30 Day by day the king gave Jehoiachin a regular allowance as long as he lived. 2 Kings 25:29-30

It didn’t say that Jehoiachin lived extravagantly, or that the King gave him a huge sum of money. In fact his lifestyle then probably couldn’t even compare to when he himself was king. What the scripture said was that he had food to eat and a regular allowance for as long as he lived. I’m sure Jehoiachin was grateful that he was no longer in exile and that God provided for him on a daily basis. I hope if for one moment he forgot his time in exile or felt ungrateful he had someone who reminded him of God’s provision the way my brother did me.

Father help me to continue to trust you on a daily basis, to not be so concerned about what I consider ‘tomorrow’s needs’ that I don’t take the time to acknowledge and thank you for the fact the each day you provide for me exactly what I need for that day.

Trusting Him,
~Bernadine~

This article was inspired by a conversation I had with my brother Robert. I shared it at Laced With Grace a while back. However I thought I'd share it here today in honor of Robert's birthday.